Overwhelming pinks and sickening greens, Instagram orange – these colors remind me of sour hard candy that is beautiful to look at but when you pop it in your mouth- watch out! I paint from memories and photos of my friends and family, focusing on the women in these moments, how they fill up a space or engage within it together. I find that women are often at the center of celebration and ritual, creating something memorable, seemingly out of thin air. Appearance is important, and I am fascinated by clothing and what it communicates about a subject. The warring aesthetic in my paintings is provoked by the beauty of these moments and the inextricable fear of judgement that comes along, balanced through contrasting visuals; where the color pulls you into its loud embrace, the wide eyes of the figures stare you down. The amorphous figures offer yet another perspective of the complexities and uneasiness of  belonging. We all want to be seen, to fit in; my work investigates the visual symbols of identity as well as social anxiety and judgement inherent to sharing space with others.